BOOK REVIEW

Diseaslng of America

Stanton Peele, Ph. D., Lexington Books, Paperback Edition, 1995, 321 pp. The first impression of the book was that Dr. Peele wanted to abolish the whole concept of

treatment, a concept on which the juvenile courts have based their dispositional procedures for almost a century. The last impression is that Dr. Peele is fully supportive of the individualized treatment concept that distinguishes the juvenile court from the adult criminal court.

Throughout some three hundred pages there is an undercurrent, often an overcurrent, of railing against the concepts of Alcoholics Anonymous, claiming that its methods are not a scientifically proven treatment, that its recidival claims are unsubstantiated, and that it is an amateurish reincarnation of Nineteenth Century fundamentalist religious ideas. Dr. Peel agrees that alcoholism is an addiction, but he disputes that it is a disease since it does not have physical manifestations such as cancer or measles have. Alcoholics, rather than medics, have defined it as a disease and then have demanded that others accept their categorization. By making it into a disease, they have opened the floodgates of insurance money for a treatment that is little more effective than self-cure. And, further as a disease, they use it in criminal actions as an excuse and demand that courts order this treatment at a considerable government expense. It has become a large industry, an industry with guaranteed growth because (a) unlike most diseases, it insists that alcoholism is incurable so that treatment must continue for life, (b) it rationalizes that ifyou deny that you are an alcoholic, you prove that you are one, and it finds ever-new addictions that require treatment, such as drug users, gamblers, smokers, coffee drinkers, sexual deviants, and wife- beaters who are most willing to agree that they are victims of a disease rather than perpetrators of a crime or bad judgment. By expanding their net to every possible habit or excessive conduct, Dr. Peele describes them as Disearing America.

Rather than the twelve-step method which focuses on the “disease” rather than the individual, Dr. Peek advocates looking at the individual’s self-image and social skills and stress manage- ment and value system. Building these will be more likely to stop the drinking and associated problems than a confrontational, ritualistic approach which, like treating cancer, looks only at a disease isolated from the personality of the patient. The juvenile court similarly, in its search for individualized justice, looks more at the personality and environmental deficits of the juvenile delinquent or neglecting parent and less at the offending conduct.

Dr. Pa l e uses many quotes and laces his text with nearly 400 citations, some to his own works, many to the writings ofthose who disagree with him. It is easy reading though frequently redundant. It assists the reader by using subheadings to itemize the progression of ideas and an index to make the book usable for research. Most readers will argue with the author at the beginning -0 many will be persuaded by him by the end.

Judge Lindsay G. Arthur 120 1 Yale Place, #205

Minneapolis, Minnesota 5 5403

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